Louise Lecavalier

Recorded at Jacob's Pillow:

July 15, 2011

One of the icons of contemporary Canadian dance, Louise Lecavalier was born in Montreal in 1958. From the time she joined La La La Human Steps in 1981 until almost two decades later, Lecavalier performed in every one of the company's productions, becoming the symbol and luminary of Édouard Lock's group. In 2009, Lock combined excerpts from two of his works, Exaucé/Salt and 2, creating a retrospective duet that was presented for the first time in the U.S. at the Pillow. Lecavalier's program notes describe the work as a chance "to discover what the body remembers or doesn't remember, to know what memory has let go, flattened, or embellished." Among the technical feats which she mastered with Lock was the full-body barrel jump, a sort of horizontal pirouette which can be seen in this video excerpt.